


The Case of the Moving Mannequin

by serenesavagery (DivergentElf)



Category: Stormlight Archive - Brandon Sanderson
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, College, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Male Friendship, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-03-29 09:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19017427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DivergentElf/pseuds/serenesavagery
Summary: It's not creepy to have mannequins in his studio- Adolin storming needs them for reference.So, Kaladin can shut it? But also, Adolin is kind of scared by said mannequins sometimes.





	The Case of the Moving Mannequin

"I keep telling you that coffee is gonna be the death of you." Kaladin says, blandly. 

Adolin scrunches up his face, frowning at his friend in accusation. "Uh, excuse you, Mr. I Can't Be A Nice Human Being Until I Have My Cappuccino." 

"That's a long name I wouldn't want to be bothered with." Kaladin says, without skipping a beat. 

Adolin rolls his eyes but then sighs as he looks at his half completed illustration on his table. 

Said illustration is an idea Adolin had for his midterm project- designing utilitarian clothing as creatively as possible, but due to circumstances, Adolin had been putting it off until the last second. 

Last second meaning Adolin literally has two days only to complete it. 

And Kaladin would just snort and say Adolin brought it upon himself anyway. 

But, fashion was Adolin's world- he didn't need Kaladin freaking Stormblessed to tell him how to do his project. 

Then again, said man had been a good friend who had decided to stay over at Adolin's dorm because Adolin was being a paranoid wacko. 

Why? 

Because Adolin knew he saw a mannequin moving. 

As in, actual movement- like, the mannequin freaking moved on its two legs. 

And Adolin had screamed. And then proceeded to text Kaladin about this very dire situation, and Kaladin being the concerned friend he was, decided to stay for the night. 

Though, it didn't stop him from being a snarky asshole for the entire time. 

"Don't you have any assignments?" Adolin now asks, curiously. 

Kaladin shrugs. "Finished whatever I had." 

Adolin snorts. "Of course. Shouldn't have asked." 

"It wasn't easy. Required amputation isn't an easy topic to write a thesis about." Kaladin says, and Adolin smiles at the wry humor in his friend's voice. 

"I would find you weird if it was." Adolin says, smiling wider. 

"Yeah well, some stuff is morbid even for med students." Kaladin says, shrugging as he looks at the mannequins. 

"Back to the original issue-" 

"I saw a mannequin moving. Don't you dare judge me." Adolin hisses faster than Kaladin can even finish his sentence. 

Kaladin only raises his hands in surrender. "No need to be so defensive, Your Royal Highness. I was only talking about your project." Kaladin says, smirking slightly at Adolin's sheepishly embarrassed expression. 

"Oh." 

"Yeah." 

"Well. What time is it?" Adolin asks, in a small voice. 

Kaladin shrugs. "Close to eleven thirty, I guess. You still have two days, right?" 

Adolin nods, holding his head in his hands. "Fortunately. But this project isn't really inspiring, for me. Like, utilitarian could mean a whole storm of things-"

And if the way Kaladin looks attentive, listens to him carefully, makes him feel a little more confident yet nervous at the same time, that's Adolin's...thing. 

Not for anyone else to know. 

This goes on like this for another half an hour. 

And that's when Adolin saw the mannequin move. 

Again. 

And that's why he screams. 

"Adolin?" Kaladin asks, standing up from the table he was sitting on in worry. 

Adolin is scared. He won't deny it, he's storming scared. 

The mannequin moved one foot closer to him and Adolin is shaking. 

This particular mannequin was the very same one that had moved before, and if it was a coincidence that it was Adolin's most disliked mannequin, well, it was a very bad one that did nothing good for Adolin's nerves. 

The reason Adolin disliked this particular mannequin was because he had needed it to study...well, he didn't want to go into it as of this moment. 

_Because a mannequin he didn't like, was moving._

"It moved, Kaladin! It moved!" Adolin shrieked, backing away as far as he could. 

Kaladin stared. "Which one?" He asked, his face adorably confused. 

Adolin felt a vein about to burst in his neck. "The horrible one wearing that particular gaudy dress which is supposed to be a mix of Gothic and Bohemian! Which  _else_?!" Adolin shrieked again, shaking Kaladin's shoulders. 

Kaladin looked mildly terrified and a little sick what with Adolin feverishly shaking him by the shoulders.

"Okay, you are officially on coffee crack. Which is sadly, _not_ what I wanted to say!" Kaladin said, his voice loud so that Adolin could stop shaking him. 

"I am  _not_ on coffee crack because that's not even a thing!" Adolin shouts, turning Kaladin's face rather painfully to look at the offending mannequin. 

Kaladin stopped struggling and stared at the mannequin, before pushing off Adolin's hands off his shoulders. 

"Adolin. You've always hated that mannequin." Kaladin says, blandly. 

Adolin stomps his foot on the ground, which is not really mature of him. "With good reason." He says, huffing. 

Kaladin rolls his eyes, shaking his head. "You have one hell of a grip. Sheesh." He says, rubbing his left shoulder. 

Adolin stares and then holds his head in his hands. 

"Oh Ishi. I really am on coffee crack." Adolin says in mortification, shaking his head. 

Adolin currently can't see Kaladin, out of shame, but he's thankful the other doesn't sound snide when he grunts. 

"Like I said. You have two days. We'll throw that mannequin out, and you focus on getting through this _without_ coffee." 

Adolin groans. "That sounds like Damnation." 

"Yeah well, at least you won't imagine that mannequins are- _Kelek's breath, it actually moved_!" 

Kaladin's voice goes an octave higher, and Adolin sits up straight, staring at the mannequin. 

"Wait. You don't drink coffee." Adolin says dumbly, his jaw a little unhinged. 

Kaladin, looking shell shocked, can only nod.

"You're not on coffee crack." 

"Literally, that is not a thing, I only said it because I don't know what else to call it. Coffee craze? Doesn't have the same ring." 

Adolin lets out a half amused, half disbelieving chuckle. Trust Kaladin to be able to wise crack even if he's terrified. 

"Okay, did you really see it move?" Adolin asks cautiously. 

Kaladin looks both terrified and confused. "I don't know? I thought it moved, but it looks like it's in the same position?" 

Adolin throws up his hands. "Did it move or not?" 

"I don't storming know! All I know is that we are two dumb idiots who are screaming in midnight!" 

Adolin breathes in and out. "Okay. Okay. Maybe, just maybe, we should see what's going on-" 

Kaladin gives him a very venomous glare and Adolin raises his hands in surrender. 

"It didn't occur to me at the time- I was busy freaking out over a moving mannequin!" Adolin says, defensively. 

Kaladin looks like wants to say a whole lot of things and Adolin moves to the mannequin, though he still is at a safe distance from it. 

Moving mannequins are less scarier than an angry Kaladin Stormblessed. 

Trust Adolin on this. 

That doesn't mean Adolin isn't scared about the mannequin. 

He inches closer and closer to the mannequin until he hears Kaladin curse. 

"By Jezerzeh, I'll look at it. Stay there." Kaladin says blandly, moving over to the mannequin and whacking its head a little. 

Adolin stares, blinking. 

"What's up with this dumb thing." Kaladin mutters as he keeps hitting one part of the mannequin. 

Kaladin frowns suddenly, and Adolin inches closer as his friend bends down and looks up the mannequin's skirt. 

"What in- hold on." Kaladin says tentatively, feeling up the mannequin's skirt. 

Adolin laughs nervously. Of course, mannequins are just representations of the human body and therefore do not have any human rights like privacy to their body, but it's still weirdly amusing to see Kaladin feel up a mannequin's skirt. 

Adolin frowns suddenly. The skirt seems weirdly bulged...

And the bulge disappears as Kaladin takes out a cat from the skirt, turning back to give Adolin an unamused look. 

"Here's your moving mannequin." Kaladin says, in a voice drier than the spiciest food in existence. 

"There was a cat?" Adolin squeaks out. 

The cat looks sheepish and cute; it's a silvery cat with the cutest blue eyes and Adolin kind of likes it. 

But it seems like that the cat likes Kaladin more because it keeps licking his hands affectionately. 

Kaladin himself is more interested in Adolin's stupidity than the fact that a cute cat is licking his fingers. 

"Yep. And now we have to give it to the animal shelter. And before you ask, since animals aren't allowed in our dorms, I can't adopt it. So take that dopey look off your face." Kaladin says, making Adolin's face fall. 

"But it's cute!" Adolin protests, waving a hand. 

Kaladin raises his eyebrows. "Really?" 

Adolin sighs. "Yeah, you got a point. You know any animal shelters?" 

Kaladin shakes his head as he now moves to the table and sits on it, the cat making itself comfortable in Kaladin's lap. 

Adolin moves to his chair, sitting on it and smiling as the cat nips at him curiously. 

"Syl might know of any animal shelter; she loves cats. But seriously, you need to clean up your mannequins." 

"Please don't give me another lecture, I'm busy playing with this cutie." Adolin says petulantly as he strokes the cat's neck, laughing when it purrs. 

Kaladin sighs, but when Adolin looks up at him briefly, he's smiling too. 

And well, if Adolin finds it beautiful like Kaladin's other smiles he's found beautiful, it's his secret. 

"Yeah, can't really blame you." Kaladin says softly, chuckling when the cat paws at Adolin. 

"Right?" Adolin asks excitedly. 

Kaladin chuckles. "Don't push it, Kholin. We're still taking it to the animal shelter." 

"Her. I feel like it's a her." Adolin says absently, as he rubs the cat's head. 

"Yeah, because you're an expert on feline genders. Have her till I take her to the animal shelter on the weekend." Kaladin says, patting Adolin's shoulder. 

Adolin pouts. "I could always charm my RA into letting me keep her..."

"Adolin, no." But Kaladin doesn't sound surprised, and that makes Adolin grin. 

"Adolin, hell yes." 

Kaladin laughs softly. "Figures." 

Adolin only grins wider, hugging the cat closer to him.

The cat purrs in agreement, trying to reach for Adolin's chin and lick it. 

"You used female pronouns too, you know." Adolin says mischievously, yawning a little. 

Kaladin yawns. "I agree to no such thing. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get to sleep. Bye. And sleep." He says, but he rubs the cat's head as he leaves. 

"He's a softie, isn't he?" Adolin whispers with a grin to the cat, who happily licks his chin. 

**Author's Note:**

> Seemed like the best place to end this fic!   
> So yeah, hope you guys liked it?? Tell me your thoughts!


End file.
